Servant of Evil
by freakanature06
Summary: Matthew would give absolutely anything to protect his brother - even his very life. A short sort-of songfic, based on the song of the same name. WARNING! Character death involved. Enjoy.
1. Prologue Where It All Started

(A/N: I felt the desperate need to write this story after watching this video: http : // www. youtube. com/ watch?v= skj38WVv7wY Just remove the spaces. ^^ Anyway... ANGST AHEAD!)

Prologue - Where It All Started

"_You are the hero  
I am the servant  
We are twins that destiny played a cruel jest on."_

Pressing his glasses slowly up his nose, Matthew Williams gave his brother a dubious look. "Alfred," he said cautiously, "you do realize that's going to get you in trouble, right?"

Alfred F. Jones, representative of the United States of America, looked up from the papers he had been perusing and blinked at the Canadian. He had a hamburger halfway to his mouth, which was open to reveal a lump of half-chewed burger already inside. Shuddering, Matthew looked away quickly. Alfred's eating habits disgusted him to no end, but he was loathe to say anything for fear of insulting Alfred.

"Whaddyou mean, Mattie?" he asked, looking perfectly confused. Matthew could never tell if Alfred was really that stupid or just pretending…

Nervously, Matthew held his polar bear, Kumajiro, closer to his chest and watched Alfred closely. "Well, you know… It's just that…" Fumbling to a halt, Matthew stared in wonder at his brother's blank expression. "You really don't see how your meddling is going to piss people off??"

A bark of laughter was Alfred's response to the blunt question. "Oh, Mattie! They're not going to be pissed off! I'm saving them! Who would be pissed at their hero?" Matthew could name quite a few people who would be angry at the hero that was Alfred, himself among them, but he kept quiet. "Besides!" Alfred continued, grinning at his brother and sucking down large gulps of his Diet Coke. "You'll always be there to help me out, right?"

That was how it must have started, Matthew mused to himself, thinking back on that moment with a certain fondness that he supposed he shouldn't feel. Alfred had placed complete and utter trust in him, and while Matthew often disagreed with his brother, he would be damned if he was going to betray that trust.

And somehow, that thought made the bars of his cell seem much more superfluous…

"_Even if the world turns against you  
I'll become the only evil that is on your side."_


	2. To Keep Him Smiling

Chapter 1 - To Keep Him Smiling

"_Our fates were decided on the day we came  
The bells of the church tolling their blessings  
For selfish adult reasons  
Our future was ripped in two."_

In all his life, Matthew couldn't remember a time when Alfred hadn't been around, just on the other side of the border, within reach. They were close, the two of them. Closer than any siblings really had a right to be. But then again, they were twins. And didn't twins have some sort of strange connection between them that allowed them to feel one another even over vast distances?

Matthew knew that there were many times when he had felt Alfred's pain and elation at different points in history. Even when Matthew had been living with Francis, he never lost that connection - never lost the ability to feel his brother, who he wasn't really allowed to see at the time, due to the bickering that often occurred between Francis and Alfred's caretaker, Arthur. Even then, though! Matthew had always felt Alfred, and that had comforted him when he had nightmares or when he was feeling lonely.

And yet still they were always torn apart from each other, and that was something that Matthew hated. Perhaps that was why now, no matter what Alfred did, he felt that Alfred was correct in doing it. He wanted to be with his brother, for once in their ridiculous lives, and protect him, help him.

As Matthew watched, the world was slowly beginning to turn against Alfred. And he couldn't blame them. Alfred could be a really thick, terrible person, especially to people who didn't understand him. And it made sense that they would be angry with the annoying American.

But that didn't stop Matthew from standing by his side. Nothing ever would stop him from doing that. Not now that he was independent and free to make that choice for himself. There was still the possibility that Alfred would turn around to a new way of thinking too, and Matthew had to stay, just in case that happened.

And if it didn't, well… He would just have to deal with the consequences. For now, he would fix everything that went wrong - essentially doing Alfred's dirty work, though his brother didn't know it - no matter how badly it hurt Matthew to see the people in pain because of his brother…

But every time Matthew saw Alfred's smiling face, he knew that he could continue doing this forever if he needed to - as long as Alfred could still smile, it was all okay…

"_Even if everything in the world  
Turns against you  
I will protect you  
So continue smiling there."_


	3. What I Do

Chapter 2 - What I Do

"_When I visited the neighboring country  
There was a boy in green at the city  
With a kind voice and smiling face  
At first glance, I liked him."_

It had been two years since the bullshit from Alfred had started to fall all around Matthew's ears. In the past year, it looked as if things had been getting better. Alfred had toned down his heroics and everyone else seemed to be willing to put up with what little Alfred did do. Which was a huge bonus for Matthew, who was so sick of cleaning up after his brother that he might have started punching the American if he had had to continue doing so.

Everything was going much more smoothly. And Matthew was finding himself actually starting to make friends with other people! There was a man - Gilbert, an ex-Prussian who had suddenly found himself in Germany - that Matthew kept seeing at the world meetings. And, oddly, Gilbert kept seeing him. Right away, Gilbert caught Matthew's interest, and he found himself watching the man from the corner of his eye as the meetings went on, ignoring the actual conversations, which wasn't typical for him at all. After all, he still had to keep an eye on his brother.

So it was that Matthew didn't have the warning of knowing that Gilbert had been opposing Alfred on some level and the American was getting annoyed with it. Visiting Alfred one day, Matthew heard of his brother's plans to eliminate the German to further his own plans. It wasn't the first time Alfred had needed to get rid of someone, and so far Matthew had never let him do it, taking the job upon himself so that Alfred would remain innocent (though everyone knew it was under the Americans orders that these things were happening).

However, this time, it took a great deal of internal effort for Matthew to tell his brother that he would do the dirty work yet again.

"_But if my brother's planning for  
That person to be eliminated  
Then I will answer to that"_

As Matthew lowered the gun, his hands began to shake and he couldn't see. Briefly, he wondered if his glasses had wound up broken in the scuffle. But no. A moment later, tears were streaming down his cheeks and sobs were wracking his body. Then his legs gave out and he collapsed next to the body on the floor, considering, for just one moment, what would happen if he turned that gun on himself…

"_I wonder why my tears won't stop"_

The very next day, Matthew was putting together lunch and looked out to Alfred, who was sitting in the dining room. "I'm making brioche," he called, and heard a small laugh in response.

"I don't even know what that is, but thanks Mattie. I don't know what I'd do without you." The smile Matthew saw on his brother's face caused his heart to stop for a moment. Once again, he realized that everything he did was for that smile - to be able to know that Alfred was safe, innocent, and kept on enjoying the life that he was living. Relief flooded through him, even as fresh tears welled in his eyes.

"I love you, Alfred," he muttered, knowing that his brother wouldn't hear him, his tears falling silently into the food.

"'_Today's snack is brioche'  
You laugh  
A laugh that was ever so innocent."_


	4. Protector

Chapter 3 - Protector

"_Soon the angry citizens may come to punish us  
Even if we so rightly deserve this  
Despite that, I will still defy them."_

It was a month later that everything dissolved around them. Matthew had invited Alfred over to share some hot cocoa. The winter winds blew outside and they were both huddled by the crackling fire, laughing about some joke Alfred had just told when they heard the noise. A rumbling sound, very much like thunder, and yet not like thunder at all. Confused, Matthew stood and moved to the window to look out.

Outside, through the whirling snow, he saw lights moving towards them. A very large group of lights. And soon enough, the lights resolved into a group of people - the other representatives.

In an instant, Matthew knew what they were coming for. It was an angry mob, come to put a stop to Alfred's meddling once and for all. They had finally reached the breaking point. Matthew's skin turned to ice at the thought of what they would do to stop Alfred - the only logical thing they could do…

Spinning on the spot, Matthew gave Alfred a horrified look, which Alfred answered with a confused one of his own.

"Mattie, what's wro--"

"They're coming," Matthew responded in a tight voice, eyes wide. "They're coming to get rid of you…"

"'_Hey, I'm lending you my clothes  
Wear this and escape immediately  
It'll be alright, we are twins  
No one will notice.'"_

Cursing vehemently, Matthew started pacing in front of the fireplace, trying to think. There had to be a way out of this situation! There just had to be! He had protected his brother for so long, he would just die if he couldn't now, when Alfred needed him the most.

Alfred was standing at the window, staring blankly out at the approaching crowd. So they were coming for him. Alfred knew he deserved anything and everything they would do to him. A sort of calm acceptance had washed over him almost immediately upon seeing so many people out to get him. There was no way he could get past them, they were too close already, and there was no use fighting them, they were too many. Ah well, he thought. I knew it couldn't last forever.

By the fire, Matthew came to a sudden halt with his hands buried deeply in his hair. Hair the same color as his twins. Face the same shape. All that was different was…

Suddenly, frantically, Matthew started pulling his clothes off. "Alfred. Strip. We're trading clothes. Quickly!"

Unsure of Matthew's plan at the moment, Alfred did as he was told. He had never seen Matthew so frantic and commanding, and that leant speed to his stripping. When he had removed all of his distinguishing clothing, he passed it all to Matthew and started pulling on his twins clothes, all the time trying to figure out what exactly it was that Matthew had planned.

It wasn't until Matthew was fully in Alfred's clothes and had grabbed a pair of scissors that Alfred realized what was going on.

"Mattie…!" he exclaimed as his brother began chopping his hair off unceremoniously. "What… what are you doing?" There was a hint of panic on the edge of Alfred's voice, and Matthew cringed away from him, trying desperately to cut his own hair faster.

"What do you think I'm doing, Al?" he asked. "We look exactly the same. If you're disguised as me, no one will pay you any mind." The scissors dropped to the ground with a clatter and Matthew suddenly realized how badly his hands were shaking. Raising one to eye level, he willed it to be still. There was nothing else he could do to protect the most precious person to him! And he would never be able to live with himself if he didn't protect Alfred…

Feeling himself starting to shake as well, Alfred moved forward and grabbed Matthew by the collar. "No! Mattie, this is too much! I know you've done things for me before, but…" His voice suddenly cracked and he had to look away from his twin, who now truly looked like him. "They'll kill you, Mattie. I can't… You're…"

At seeing his brother's panicked face, a strange sense of calmness fell over Matthew. He was able to fully grasp his situation now, and realized that he was alright with dying. As long as Alfred was safe. "I know, Alfred," he said softly, gently pulling his brother's hands from his shirt. "Me, and not you. That's all I can ask for."

Grabbing Alfred's wrist in a sudden, tight hold, Matthew dragged him to the back door and shoved him out into the snowy night. "Go!" he said, an authority he had never had before behind his voice - an authority that Alfred had once had in his own voice. "Quickly! And don't stop for anyone!"

Alfred spun to stare as his brother began to disappear behind the closing door. "Mattie, I l--"

"GO!"

A soft sob echoed in the night air as Alfred turned on his heel and fled, in plain sight of the approaching mob - and yet they didn't see him. Because he was no longer Alfred - he was Matthew.

"_I am the hero  
You are the fugitive  
We are twins that destiny has forced suffering on"_

Inside his own home, Matthew stood silently at the window, watching Alfred leave without any hindrance. Good. The clothing had been enough to give Alfred the sort of invisibility that Matthew had always been prey to. He was glad…

The only sounds for a few long minutes were the crackle of the fire and Matthew's attempts at steady breathing. Soon enough, he couldn't watch the mob approaching anymore - it constricted his heart in a way that caused tears to spring to his heart, and he couldn't have that. For now, he had to be Alfred F. Jones, hero extraordinaire, representative of the United States of…

The door suddenly shook and Matthew stared at it in horror. They were here. They were here for his brother. But they would only find him. Oh, please, if there is a God in heaven, let them take me. Let them be satisfied with having me. Please, sweet Lord, protect my brother. Let his punishment fall on me. Please… please…

As the wood of the door gave way to the battering of the mob, Matthew straightened his shoulders and watched them come on, eyes level. He didn't move when they flooded into the room. He didn't struggle as they forced him to his knees and tied his hands behind his back. Nor did he try to escape in any way as they led him out of his home and took him away to await judgment. Matthew complied with silence, even as blows fell down on him all the way to the prison. And when they shoved him into the barred room, he simply laid where he landed.

Tears streamed down his face. Not tears of anger, sadness, or even pain. Tears of joy.

They truly thought he was his brother…

"_If all the world believes that you are evil  
Then I am evil too  
As I'm sharing your blood"_


	5. Till The End

Chapter 4 - Till The End

"_A long time ago, in a certain place  
Were the major countries of the world  
And ruling over all at the throne  
Was my dear brother."_

The cell was cold and quiet as Matthew sat and awaited the time when he would be led out in front of the firing squad. He had been tried by a jury of his peers and was found guilty beyond appeal. Exactly as he had expected. Actually, he had honestly expected them to just kill him on the spot when they found him, but… Well, at least the other representatives were maintaining some civility. That was all he could ask for. But this why, he would die in front of hundreds, no, thousands of people, shamed and looked down upon.

Sighing heavily, Matthew tried to draw his mind away from such thoughts. The more he thought about the fact that he was going to be dying, the tighter the knot in his stomach wound. And the tighter it wound, the more he wanted to just scream that he wasn't Alfred! That he was Matthew and that they had gotten the wrong man! Only his steel resolve to save his brother kept him from doing so. Though it was a slim thing.

The sun was high in the sky and the cell was fairly well lit. Matthew's scheduled time of death was three o'clock. But he had no idea what time it was now. What was the point? It would come soon enough. Or, rather, too soon.

And come it did. In the form of Arthur Kirkland approaching his cell door and opening it with a key from his belt. The look that Arthur was giving Matthew tore at his heart. The older man looked torn between doing what was right and saving the boy he had raised. Swallowing, Matthew walked past Arthur with his nose upturned, not even looking at the man. It ached to do this to the man and he could see the hurt on Arthur's face, but Matthew couldn't allow Arthur the opportunity to try and save him. This was his only chance to save Alfred.

The light blinded Matthew as he stepped out into the courtyard where the execution was to take place. Already, there was a large crowd gathered, all of them cheering or jeering, but just generally making a ruckus. Matthew forced the bile down from his throat and the tears from his eyes. He had to be strong. He had to be!

His resolve gave way completely when he saw his brother in the crowd. He was near the front, still dressed in Matthew's clothing, his eyes wide with fear and devastation. His vision blurring, Matthew looked away from Alfred, trying to maintain his calm. But he hadn't known that Alfred would be here. God, it would be so hard to leave him…

"_Even if all the world becomes your enemy  
Then I will protect you  
Please keep laughing somewhere."_

The firing squad stepped forward. There were seven of them, each holding a rifle, and Matthew felt as if they had already pelted the lead into him. His legs were close to giving out on him as he stood in front of a wall, facing them head-on, his hands cuffed behind his back.

Some man that Matthew didn't know was reading something aloud, but Matthew barely heard him.

"Alfred F. Jones, you have been tried by a jury…"

Matthew's heart was beating so hard that he could only hear its pleas for life in his ears. Time slowed for a moment, and Matthew was able to see each of the other representatives, all leering at him as if he were something dirty. The tears he had been fighting back began to fall and he wept for himself - something he had never done in his life. Even when he had been ignored, tread upon, and forced into situations he hated being in, Matthew had never cried for his misfortune, because he would always be with someone he loved.

But now he was leaving the only person left in this world that he cared about. And that cut him to the core, more than any bullet would. He couldn't see properly as the tears clung to his eyelashes and from there stuck to his brother's glasses. All this he did for the person he loved most. His eyes locked with Alfred's in the crowd and he saw the same tears streaming down his twin's face. In that one moment, he let all of his love and loyalty to his other half flow through him and could only sincerely hope that Alfred was able to read it in his eyes.

"…will be executed by firing squad at 1500 hours." The person speaking finally stopped and looked to Matthew. "Do you have any last words?"

Matthew had a thousand words he wanted to say, none of which mattered anymore. Suddenly, he wished he could talk about all of the pointless things in his life, and hold the inevitable at bay. And more than anything, he simply wanted to tell Alfred how much he loved him.

But that was a weakness Matthew would not allow himself to succumb to. Rather than speak, he shook his head mutely and straightened his back. Stiffly, he nodded to the men who were readying their rifles.

"Ready."

Matthew's heart fluttered and he prayed that he wouldn't pass out now. He had to stay strong, until the very last. No matter what happened, he would die with honor.

"Aim."

Arthur suddenly stood from where he had been sitting, watching the proceedings, and let out a strangled cry. Only now, he had realized it. The man standing by the wall wasn't Alfred at all. Arthur should have seen it sooner, he raised the boys! Both of them! But it had always been so very difficult to tell them apart, and he hadn't expected something like this from Matthew!

"Fire!"

In the brief moment between the speaking of that final word and when the firing squad finally pulled the triggers, Matthew looked out at the crowd. He saw his brother, horrified, and smiled softly. His face lit up with all of his love and affection and his lips parted as he whispered.

"I lo--"

As the bullets tore through him, his body jerked erratically and moments later, he slumped to the ground as the crowd cheered for the demise of the tyrant that had haunted them for so long. No one noticed the two other men who had collapsed as Matthew did, both consumed with grief…

"_If we are ever reborn  
Then play with me again at that time."_


End file.
